Fabric for vehicle interior finish material

ABSTRACT

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material that contains partially animal and plant origin fibers and has improved durability against deterioration in appearance and in physical properties, even with the lapse of time upon application to a vehicle interior finish material. The fabric comprises a thread A containing fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin and a thread B containing polyester fibers, and has an exposure ratio of the thread A with respect to the surface area of the fabric represented by the following expression being 20% or less: 
       exposure ratio of thread  A =( SA/SF )×100 
     wherein SA represents a total area of the thread A exposed on the surface of the fabric, and SF represents the surface area of the fabric.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material. More specifically, the invention relates to a fabric that partially contains fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin, and has sufficient durability upon application to a vehicle interior finish material.

A fabric has been used as an interior finish material of a vehicle, such as an automobile, a railcar, an aircraft, a boat and a ship, in various interior articles including a seat, a ceiling, a curtain and the like. A vehicle interior finish material is required to have high durability because it is used under severe conditions for a prolonged period of time, and therefore, as fibers constituting a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material, synthetic fibers excellent in physical and chemical characteristics, particularly polyester fibers, have been used.

Environmental issues such as global warming and issues of petroleum exhaustion have become increasingly acknowledged by people, in recent years. Resultantly, there arises a trend—materials that are easily recycled and materials that are environmentally thoughtful are increasingly tried to be adopted as a vehicle interior finish material or a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material for automobiles and the like. In particular, fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin (which may be hereinafter referred to as “animal and plant origin fibers”) are tried to be adopted due to a decreased consumption of petroleum, and because after use, they are finally decomposed into water and carbon dioxide in the natural environment. However, the animal and plant origin fibers inferior in durability as compared to conventional synthetic fibers, such as polyester fibers, and have not yet been subjected to practical use as a material for a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material.

Under such circumstances, for example, JP-A-2005-281891 discloses a moquette pile fabric containing at least partially composite fibers, each of which has a core of a polylactic acid polymer and a shell of aromatic polyester polymer, in a cross section, and has a monofilament fineness of from 1.1 to 7.7 dtex. The shortcomings of the polylactic acid polymer, i.e., inferiority in strength and wear resistance, are complimented by the aromatic polyester polymer in order to provide composite fibers that are excellent in strength and wear resistance. The fabric is stated to be suitable for a vehicle seat and the like.

JP-A-2005-307359 discloses polylactic acid staple fibers that have been shrunk by application of a heat treatment to have a decreased heat shrinking ratio on a dry heat treatment in the later stage, and also discloses a nonwoven fabric that is suppressed in generation of dusts and is improved in production stability by using at least partially the polylactic acid staple fibers, and an automobile interior finish material using the nonwoven fabric.

Upon applying the moquette pile fabric or the nonwoven fabric to a vehicle interior finish material, however, they are deteriorated in appearance and physical properties with the lapse of time and cannot be subjected to practical use. In particular, the nonwoven fabric disclosed in JP-A-2005-307359 contains the polylactic acid staple fibers that are exposed on the surface of the nonwoven fabric in a large amount, and therefore, suffers considerable embrittlement due to light, heat and humidity. Furthermore, the composite fibers used in the moquette pile fabric disclosed in JP-A-2005-281891 are limited to so-called core-shell type or sea-island type fibers, which increase the production cost.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above, it is aimed to provide a fabric that contains partially animal and plant origin fibers and has improved durability against deterioration in appearance and in physical properties even with the lapse of time upon application to a vehicle interior finish material.

As a result of earnest investigations made by the inventors, it has been found that deterioration of in appearance and physical properties of a fabric with the lapse of time can be suppressed by decreasing exposure of animal and plant origin fibers on the surface of the fabric to a small extent, thereby providing a fabric that has sufficient durability as a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material. The invention has been completed based on the findings.

The invention relates to, as one aspect, a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material, comprising a thread A containing fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin and a thread B containing polyester fibers, and having an exposure ratio of the thread A with respect to a surface area of the fabric represented by the following expression being 20% or less:

exposure ratio of thread A=(SA/SF)×100

wherein SA represents a total area of the thread A exposed on the surface of the fabric, and SF represents the surface area of the fabric.

It is preferred in the fabric for a vehicle interior finish material that the thread A further contains polyester fibers in addition to the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin.

It is preferred in the fabric for a vehicle interior finish material that a proportion of the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin is from 3 to 60% by weight based on a weight of the fabric.

It is preferred in the fabric for a vehicle interior finish material that the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin is at least one selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid fibers and bamboo fibers.

According to the invention, such a fabric can be provided that contains partially animal and plant origin fibers and has improved durability against deterioration in appearance and in physical properties, even with the lapse of time upon application to a vehicle interior finish material. The fabric for a vehicle interior finish material of the invention contains partially animal and plant origin fibers, and therefore, the fabric lowly depends on petroleum and provides decreased load on disposal. Therefore, the fabric of the invention contributes to establishment of environment-conscious society as an environmentally benign fabric for a vehicle interior finish material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing a weaving pattern of a double weft woven fabric in Example 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration showing a knitting pattern of a double knitted fabric in Example 14.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention will be described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments.

The fabric for a vehicle interior finish material of the invention comprises a thread A containing fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin (animal and plant origin fibers) and a thread B containing polyester fibers. Herein, the thread A is prevented from being exposed to the surface of the fabric at a ratio exceeding 20%, i.e., the exposure ratio of the thread A with respect to the surface area of the fabric represented by the following expression is 20% or less:

exposure ratio of thread A=(SA/SF)×100

In the expression, SA represents a total area of the thread A exposed on the surface of the fabric, and SF represents the surface area of the fabric.

The fabric referred herein includes a woven fabric and a knitted fabric, and the surface of the fabric means one surface of the fabric that is in contact with the interior space upon application to a vehicle interior finish material. The thread A containing animal and plant origin fibers and the thread B containing polyester fibers are combined. The thread A is arranged so as not to be exposed to the surface of the fabric, which is exposed directly to light, heat and humidity, in an extent not exceeding 20% exposure ratio. Resultantly, such a fabric is provided that has sufficient durability with decreased deterioration in appearance and in physical properties, even with the lapse of time upon application to a vehicle interior finish material. In the case where the exposure ratio of the thread A exceeds 20%, deterioration in appearance and physical properties with the lapse of time cannot be sufficiently suppressed upon application to a vehicle interior finish material, thereby failing to provide sufficient durability. The exposure ratio of the thread A is more preferably 3% or less, and particularly preferably close to 0% as much as possible.

Typical examples of the animal and plant origin fibers include natural fibers and regenerated fibers, and specific examples thereof include cellulose natural fibers of plant origin, such as cotton and hemp; protein natural fibers of animal origin, such as wool and silk; cellulose regenerated fibers of plant origin, such as rayon, bamboo fibers (bamboo rayon), cupra and lyocell; protein regenerated fibers of plant origin, such as corn protein fibers and soy protein fibers; and protein regenerated fibers of animal origin, such as casein fibers. Semi-synthetic fibers, which are obtained by reacting a material of animal and protein origin with a chemical reagent, may be used, and examples thereof include cellulose semi-synthetic fibers of plant origin, such as acetate and triacetate, and protein semi-synthetic fibers of animal origin, such as promix. Polylactic acid fibers may be used that are produced in such a manner that starch extracted from plant, such as corn, is subjected to lactic acid fermentation to provide lactic acid, and the lactic acid is polymerized to provide a polymer, which is then formed into fibers. The polylactic acid fibers are receiving attention in recent years as biodegradable synthetic fibers using no petroleum resource.

All the fibers mentioned above may be used in the invention solely or in combination of two or more kinds of them. Among the animal and plant origin fibers, polylactic acid fibers and bamboo fibers are preferably used since they suffer less deterioration in appearance and physical properties with the lapse of time, are available in the form of various kinds of threads, and are rich in versatility.

The form of the animal and plant origin fibers may be filament fibers or staple fibers depending on the purpose and the specific usage of them. The cross sectional shape thereof is not particularly limited and may be not only an ordinary circular shape, but also a typical shapes, such as a tabular shape, a triangular shape, a hollow shape, a Y-shape, a T-shape and a U-shape.

The thread A contains at least one selected from the aforementioned animal and plant origin fibers. The form thereof may be a filament thread (filament fiber thread) or a spinning thread (staple fiber thread) depending on the purpose and the specific usage thereof, and may also be a filament fiber-staple fiber complex spinning thread containing filament fibers and staple fibers combined. The filament thread may be twisted depending on necessity, and may be applied with stretchability or bulkiness through a false twisting treatment or a Taslan processing (air-jet texturing process).

The fineness of the thread A is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose and the specific usage thereof. The fineness of the thread A is generally from 22 to 5,000 dtex, and preferably from 33 to 1,100 dtex, for a woven fabric; and is generally from 22 to 1,000 dtex, and preferably from 33 to 660 dtex, for a knitted fabric. In the case where the fineness of the thread A is lower than the lower limit of the range, durability sufficient as a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material may not be obtained. In the case where the fineness of the thread A exceeds the upper limit of the range, it may be difficult to produce a fabric.

The thread A may be constituted wholly by animal and plant origin fibers and may not contain other fibers as combined to the animal and plant origin fibers. For ensuring the durability that is required for a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material, the thread A preferably contain polyester fibers. In the case where the thread A is constituted only by animal and plant origin fibers, the physical properties thereof may be greatly deteriorated due to light, heat and humidity while depending on the structure of the fabric and the specific application position thereof, and the sufficient durability may not be obtained in some cases even though the tread B containing polyester fibers are combined. By using polyester fibers as combined to constitute the thread A, insufficient physical properties of threads having only the animal and plant origin fibers can be covered to provide durability of the thread. There is no significant advantage in using other fibers than polyester fibers, such as nylon fibers and acrylic fibers, since the threads A are not exposed to the surface of the fabric at an exposure ratio exceeding 20%.

Typical examples of the polyester fibers include fibers of polyethylene terephthalate, polybutyrene terephthalate and polytrimethylene terephthalate; but the polyester fibers are not limited to them; and the polyester fibers may be fibers obtained by copolymerizing in forming any of the above, with a third component, such as isophthalic sulfonate, adipic acid, isophthalic acid and polyethylene glycol, and may be fibers obtained by blending any of such copolymers or polyethylene glycol with any of the here-to-mentioned polyester polymers. The fibers may be used solely or in combination of two or more kinds of them. Among these, polyethylene terephthalate is preferably used since it is excellent in physical properties and is available inexpensively. In this specification, the term of the polyester fibers is defined as not include the polylactic acid fibers and the term of the animal and plant origin fibers is defined as to include the polylactic acid fibers, although which are one of polyester fibers in general terms.

The outline or surface shape and the cross sectional shape of the polyester fibers are not particularly limited as similar to the animal and plant origin fibers. Manners of combining the animal and plant origin fibers and the polyester fibers are not particularly limited; and may be paralleling, mixed twisting, combine twisting, filament-to-filament blending, mixed spinning and the like.

In the case where the thread A contains the polyester fibers in addition to the animal and plant origin fibers, the proportion of the animal and plant origin fibers is preferably 3 to 90% by weight, more preferably from 10 to 80% by weight, further preferably from 20 to 70% by weight, and particularly preferably from 40 to 60% by weight, based on the weight of the thread. In the case where the proportion of the animal and plant origin fibers is less than 3% by weight (i.e., the proportion of the polyester fibers exceeds 97% by weight), the dependence degree on petroleum resources and the load upon disposal may not be sufficiently decreased. In the case where the proportion of the animal and plant origin fibers exceeds 90% by weight (i.e., the proportion of the polyester fibers is less than 10% by weight), the thread A may not be sufficiently reinforced by combining the polyester fibers.

The thread B contains at least one selected from the aforementioned polyester fibers and is constituted totally by the polyester fibers, and other fibers may not be combined therewith to form the thread B. The thread B may have various forms as similar to the thread A, and the fineness of the thread B may be in the same range as thread A.

The fabric for a vehicle interior finish material of the invention contains the thread A containing animal and plant origin fibers and the thread B containing polyester fibers, in which the thread A is arranged so as not to be exposed to the surface of the fabric to a ratio exceeding 20%. As long as the aforementioned condition is satisfied, for the thread A and/or the thread B, a combination of two or more kinds of threads may be adopted. The fabric for a vehicle interior finish material of the invention can be produced, for example, in such a manner that; a multi-layer structure is formed with a woven fabric or a knitted fabric, in which the thread A is used as at least a part of the threads constituting the background part of the fabric; or a multi-layer structure having an intermediate layer is formed therewith, in which the thread A is used as at least a part of the threads constituting the intermediate or connecting layer and/or background part of the fabric. The thread B is used as the threads constituting mainly the frontground part of the fabric. The fabric is not limited to those having a multi-layer structure and may be those having a single-layer structure with a decreased number of the thread A appearing on the front surface of the fabric (for example, twill weave and sateen weave for a woven fabric) to provide an exposure ratio of the thread A of 20% or less. Furthermore, the exposure ratio of the thread A can be 20% or less by controlling the combination of the threads A and B in fineness (thread A<thread B) or thread density (thread A<thread B). A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material is often subjected to a raising treatment for improving ornamental appearance, tactile property and texture. The thread A can be effectively hidden by raising the surface that is constituted mainly by the thread B. These measures may also be applied to the front surface of the multi-layer structure.

A woven fabric and a knitted fabric having a multi-layer structure capable of being used in the invention as the fabric for a vehicle interior finish material will be described in detail.

Examples of the woven fabric having a multi-layer structure include; a double weave (double cloth), such as a double-layer warp woven fabric, a double-layer weft woven fabric and a double-layer warp-weft woven fabric; and a pile woven fabric, such as a pile warp woven fabric and a pile weft woven fabric. The thread A may be used as the back warp thread of the double-layer warp woven fabric, the back weft thread of the double-layer weft woven fabric, the back warp thread and/or the back weft thread of the double layer warp-weft woven fabric, the weft thread and/or the back warp thread of the pile warp woven fabric, and the warp thread and/or the back weft thread of the pile weft woven fabric. Among these, preferred is a double weave having a pattern of twill weave or sateen weave on frontground part of the fabric. The thread density largely varies depending on the fineness of the thread used and the texture pattern or structure of the fabric. The thread density is not particularly limited as long as the fabric satisfies the physical properties that are demanded for a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material.

Examples of the knitted fabric having a multi-layer structure include a warp knitted fabric, such as a tricot knitted fabric and a double raschel knitted fabric, and a weft knitted fabric, such as a circular knitted fabric.

The multi-layer tricot knitted fabric is knitted with a tricot knitting machine having two or more reeds. The thread B is demanded to be used as the thread that constitutes mainly the front side of the tricot knitted fabric, and the thread A may be used as other threads.

The number of reeds of the tricot knitting machine is preferably from 2 to 5. In the case where only one reed is used, a tricot knitted fabric having a multi-layer structure cannot be knitted. In the case where the number of reeds is 6 or more, the tricot knitted fabric thus knitted may have coarse tactile property and texture. The number of reeds is preferably 3 or 4 in consideration of the initial physical properties and the durability demanded for a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material.

The structure thereof is not particularly limited. The gauge thereof is not particularly limited and is preferably from 20 to 36 in consideration of the initial physical properties and the durability demanded for a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material.

The tricot knitted fabric includes a cutless tricot knitted fabric having no pile on the surface thereof, a raised tricot knitted fabric having pile formed by raising the surface thereof, a pole tricot knitted fabric having pile formed on knitting with a pole sinker knitting machine. A raised tricot knitted fabric and a pole tricot knitted fabric are preferred for preventing the thread A from being exposed to the surface at a ratio exceeding 20%.

The double raschel knitted fabric is a three-dimensional knitted fabric containing front and back ground fabric parts and connecting thread connecting the ground fabric parts, and is knitted with a double raschel knitting machine having three of more reeds. The thread B is demanded to be used as the thread for knitting the front ground fabric part, and the thread A may be used as the thread for knitting the back ground fabric part and/or as the connecting thread. In the case where the thread A is used as the connecting thread, it is preferred that; the fineness of the thread B as the front ground thread is larger than that of the thread A as the connecting thread; or the front ground thread is raised.

The structure thereof is not particularly limited, and the structure of the front ground fabric part is preferably a structure having no opening since the back ground fabric part and the connecting thread are prevented from being exposed to light. The gauge thereof is not particularly limited and is preferably from 18 to 28 in consideration of the initial physical properties and the durability demanded for a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material.

The double raschel knitted fabric can be used as a pile product by cutting the connecting thread at the center thereof with a band knife. In this embodiment, the pile surface is used as the front side, and the thread A may be used as the front ground thread or the back ground thread.

The multi-layer circular knitted fabric is knitted with a circular knitting machine for a double layer knitted fabric. The thread B is demanded to be used as the thread for knitting mainly the front side of the double knitted fabric, and the thread A may be used as the thread for knitting mainly the back side thereof.

The structure thereof is not particularly limited. The gauge thereof is not particularly limited and is preferably from 18 to 28 in consideration of the initial physical properties and the durability demanded for a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material.

According to the aforementioned manner, the fabric for a vehicle interior finish material of the invention can be obtained.

In the fabric for a vehicle interior finish material of the invention, the proportion of the thread A is preferably from 5 to 80% by weight, and more preferably from 20 to 60% by weight, based on the weight of the fabric. The proportion of the animal and plant origin fibers is preferably from 3 to 60% by weight, and more preferably from 5 to 40% by weight, based on the weight of the fabric. In the case where the proportions each are lower than the lower limits of the ranges, respectively, the dependence degree on petroleum resources and the load upon disposal may not be sufficiently decreased. In the case where the proportions each exceed the upper limits of the ranges, respectively, deterioration in appearance and physical properties with the lapse of time cannot be sufficiently suppressed upon application to a vehicle interior finish material, thereby failing to provide sufficient durability.

The fabric may be subjected to known processing steps, such as presetting, dyeing, setting, raising and finishing, and thus provided as a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material.

The fabric for a vehicle interior finish material of the invention preferably has a backing layer containing a resin composition or a rubber composition provided on the back surface thereof. By providing the backing layer, the thread A disposed mainly on the back surface of the fabric is fixed, whereby even when the thread A is deteriorated in physical properties with the lapse of time, the fabric is prevented from being influenced by the deterioration, thereby providing sufficient durability as a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material.

The resin composition or the rubber composition for forming the backing layer is not particularly limited. Examples of the resin component include resins, such as an acrylic resin, a urethane resin, a polyvinyl chloride resin, a polyethylene resin, a polypropylene resin and an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer. Examples of the rubber component include synthetic rubber, such as SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber), NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber) and MBR (methyl methacrylate-butadiene rubber), and natural rubber. These materials may be used solely or in combination of two or more kinds of them.

The resin composition or the rubber composition may contain an additives depending on necessity. Examples of the additive that may be arbitrarily added include a colorant, such as an inorganic pigment and an organic pigment, a chelating agent, a dispersant, an antioxidant, an ultraviolet ray absorbent, a surfactant, an uncompressed state recovering agent, a defoaming agent, a bactericide, an antiseptic, a moistening agent, a crosslinking agent, a vulcanizing agent, a vulcanizing accelerator, a tack preventing agent, a heat-sensitive gelling agent, a foaming agent, a foam adjusting agent, a penetrating agent, a water repellent agent, an oil repellent agent, a blocking preventing agent, a flame retardant, an electro-conductive material, an antibacterial agent and a deodorant, which may be used solely or in combination of two or more of them depending on necessity.

The method for coating with the resin composition or the rubber composition on the back surface of the fabric is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a knife coating method, a roller coating method and a spray coating method. The fabric thus coated with resin composition or the rubber composition is then subjected to a heat treatment to form the backing layer.

Example

The invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples below, but the invention is not limited to the examples. The physical properties of the fabric were evaluated in the following manners.

Light Fastness

A test piece cut into 65 mm×150 mm was superimposed to a foamed polyurethane slab, and the assembly was tested under the following conditions with a high-temperature light fastness testing machine equipped with a xenon lamp (water-cooled, 6.5 kW), Model Ci35W, available from Atlas Material Testing Technology Corporation.

Bright cycle Dark cycle Total radiation dose 750 kJ/m² — Radiation intensity 0.55 W/m² — Black panel temperature 89 ± 3° C. 38 ± 3° C. Relative humidity 50 ± 5% 95 ± 5% Cycle time 3.8 hr 1.0 hr

The test piece was visually observed before and after the radiation, and the test piece after the radiation was evaluated for light fastness with a gray scale according to JIS L 0804. Test pieces of discoloration grade 4 or higher, as well as test pieces of decoloration grade 3 or higher, were evaluated as “acceptable”.

Heat Resistance

A test piece cut into a 10 cm square was placed in a wide-mouthed laboratory bottle of 250 mL capacity being made of hard glass and having a ground-glass joint stopper as to be extend along side wall of the bottle, and was subjected to a heat treatment by allowing the bottle to stand in a dryer maintained at 110° C. for 400 hours. Then, the bottle was taken out from the dryer and left to be cooled to room temperature; and the test piece was taken out from the bottle and was visually observed. The test piece was visually observed before and after the heat treatment. The test piece after the heat treatment was graded, with a gray scale stipulated at JIS L 0804. Test pieces of discoloration grade 4 or higher, as well as test pieces of decoloration grade 4 or higher, were evaluated as “acceptable”.

Wet Heat Resistance

A test piece cut into 50 mm (in weaving or knitting direction)×250 mm (in width direction) was subjected to a wet heat treatment by allowing to stand in a temperature/humidity controlled chamber, PR-2KTH (available from ESPEC Corporation) maintained at 50° C. and 95% RH, for 400 hours. Then, the test piece was taken out from the chamber and allowed to stand in an atmosphere of 20±2° C. and 65±5% RH, for 24 hours. For the test pieces before and after the treatment, tensile strength and tear strength were measured.

Tensile Strength

A test piece cut into 50 mm (in weaving or knitting direction)×250 mm (in width direction) was mounted on a chuck of a low speed tensile type tensile tester, Shimadzu Autograph AG-1 (available from Shimadzu Corporation) at a distance of the chuck of 150 mm, under an atmosphere of 20±2° C. and 65+5% RH. The initial load herein was 1.96 N for a woven fabric and 0.98 N for a knitted fabric. The test piece thus mounted was pulled at a tensile speed of 200 mm/min until the test piece was broken, and the strength as the load on breakage was measured. Woven fabric test pieces having tensile strengths of 500 N or more before and after the treatment were evaluated as “acceptable”. And, knitted fabric test pieces having tensile strengths of 400 N or more were evaluated as “acceptable”.

Tear Strength

A test piece cut into 50 mm (in weaving or knitting direction)×250 mm (in width direction) was marked in a isosceles trapezoidal shape having a short edge of 100 mm, a long edge of 150 mm and a height equal to the short edge of the test piece (50 mm), and an incision of 10 mm was made at the center of the short edge perpendicularly to the short edge.

The test piece was mounted on a chuck of a low speed tensile type tensile tester, Shimadzu Autograph AG-1 (available from Shimadzu Corporation) at a distance of the chuck of 100 mm along the mark (i.e., the oblique edges of the trapezoidal shape) where the short edge was stretched and the long edge was relaxed under an atmosphere of 20±2° C. and 65+5% RH. The test piece thus mounted was torn at a tensile speed of 200 mm/min, and the strength was measured. A strength of 100 N or more for a woven fabric or 70 N or more for a knitted fabric was evaluated as “acceptable” for the test piece before the wet heat treatment. A strength of 50 N or more for both a woven fabric and a knitted fabric was evaluated as “acceptable” for the test piece after the wet heat treatment.

Example 1

A double weft woven fabric was woven as a base fabric (loomstate fabric) according to a weaving pattern shown in FIG. 1 in the following manner. A Jacquard loom having 170 warp ends per inch was used. The warp thread used was a pre-dyed thread (thread B1) consisting of; a polyethylene terephthalate multi-filament thread of 33 dtex/12 filaments as a core; and a two-ply thread formed of polyethylene terephthalate multi-filament threads of 56 dtex/48 filaments, as a sheath. The back weft thread was a mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A1) consisting of; polyethylene terephthalate staple fibers of 1.6 dtex and 51 mm; and polylactic acid staple fibers of 1.7 dtex and 51 mm, at a mixing ratio of 50/50. The front weft thread was a polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament thread (thread B2) of 167 dtex and 36 filaments. Each of the front and back weft thread was introduced in an arrangement of 1-in/1-out and 1-out/1-in, at a density of 116 threads per inch.

The base fabric was relaxed in a bath at 80° C. for 15 minutes and then heat-treated at 130° C. for 1 minute.

A resin composition having formulation 1 shown below was applied on the back surface of the fabric at a ratio of a resin solid content of 60 g/m², by a knife coating method, and then heat-treated at 130° C. for 2 minutes to form a backing layer; thereby providing a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention. The resulting fabric had a warp thread density of 215 counts per inch and a weft thread density of 120 counts per inch.

Formulation 1 Voncoat AB-782-E (*1) 80 parts by weight F-3053A (*2) 80 parts by weight water 7.7 parts by weight 12.5 w/w % aqueous ammonia 1 part by weight Voncoat V-E (*3) X parts by weight (*1) acrylate ester copolymer, solid content: 45% by weight, available from Dainippon Ink And Chemicals, Inc. (*2) flame retardant, decabromodiphenyl ether, antimony trioxide, solid content: 70% by weight, available from Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd. (*3) thickener, acrylate ester, solid content: 30% by weight, available from Dainippon Ink And Chemicals, Inc., added in an amount that provided a viscosity of 17,000 cps measured with a BM viscometer (No. 4 rotor at 12 rpm) at room temperature

Example 2

A plain weave fabric was woven as a base fabric (loomstate fabric) in the following manner. A Jacquard loom having 170 warp ends per inch was used. The warp thread used was a polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament thread (thread B3) of 990 dtex and 324 filaments. The weft threads used were; a “pre-dyed” mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2), which consists of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50 and is same as the thread A1 used in Example 1 except for being “pre-dyed” (hereinafter expressed in the same manner); and a polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament thread (thread B4) of 390 dtex and 130 filaments. The thread A2 and thread B4 were alternately introduced at a density of 170 counts per inch.

The base fabric was then processed in the same manner as in Example 1 as to form the backing layer of the resin, thereby providing a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention. The resulting fabric had a warp thread density of 215 counts per inch and a weft thread density of 120 counts per inch.

Example 3

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 2 except that a polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament thread (thread B5) of 940 dtex and 313 filaments was used as a warp thread.

Example 4

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 2 except that a polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament thread (thread B6) of 890 dtex and 297 filaments was used as a warp thread.

Example 5

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 2 except that a polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament thread (thread B7) of 790 dtex and 239 filaments was used as a warp thread.

Example 6

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 2 except that: a pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A3) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 10/90 was partially adopted as the weft thread as to partially replace the pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50.

Example 7

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 2 except that: the pre-dyed spun thread (thread A4) consisting of polylactic acid, which has the monofilament fineness and fiber length same as the Example 6, was partially adopted as the weft thread as to partially replace the pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50.

Example 8

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 5 except that no backing layer was formed.

Example 9

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 2 except that: a pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A5) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and bamboo fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50, which has same fineness and length of staple fibers as those of the thread A2, was partially adopted as the weft thread as to partially replace the pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50. The thread A5 is same with the thread A2 except for replacing of the polylactic acid fibers with the bamboo fibers.

Example 10

A tricot knitted fabric having a density of 69 courses per inch on a loom was knitted as a base fabric (loomstate fabric) in the following manner. A tricot knitting machine having three reeds with 28 gauges was used. The pre-dyed mixed spun threads of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50 were introduced to a reed L1 (back); and the polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament threads (thread B8) of 140 dtex and 60 filaments were introduced to each of a reed L2 (middle) and a reed L3 (front). The knitting arrangement was as such: 3-4/1-0 for the reed L1, 1-0/1-2 for the reed L2, and 1-0/5-6 for the reed L3.

The base fabric was relaxed in a bath at 80° C. for 15 minutes and then heat-treated at 130° C. for 1 minute.

The surface of the fabric was raised with a needle raising machine having 12 pile needle rollers and 12 counter pile needle rollers, by feeding the fabric into the machine, from the end position of knitting to the start position of knitting and vice versa alternately in 12 times in total under conditions of a needle roller torque of 2.5 MPa and a fabric feed rate of 12 m/min. The fabric was then heat-treated at 130° C. for 1 minute, thereby providing a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention. The resulting fabric had densities of 36 wells per inch and 61 courses per inch.

Example 11

A double raschel knitted fabric having a density of 38 courses per inch on a loom was knitted as a base fabric (loomstate fabric) in the following manner. A double raschel knitting machine having six reeds with 28 gauges was used. The pre-dyed mixed spun threads of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50 were introduced as ground threads to each of reeds L1 and L6; polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament threads (thread B9) of 110 dtex and 24 filaments were introduced as ground threads to each of reeds L2 and L5; and polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament threads (thread B10) of 30 dtex and 2 filaments were introduced as pile threads to each of reeds L3 and L4. The knitting arrangement was as shown below.

The double raschel knitted fabric at loomstate was cut at the center, and the piles were trimmed. The fabric was relaxed in a bath at 80° C. for 15 minutes and then heat-treated at 130° C. for 1 minute, thereby providing a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention, in which side of the piles is the front side. The resulting fabric had densities of 23.5 wells per inch and 38 courses per inch.

Reed L1: 3-2/0-1 Reed L2: 0-1/2-1 Reed L3: 0-1/1-2/2-1/1-0/1-2/2-3/3-2/2-1 Reed L4: 0-1/1-2/2-1/1-0/1-2/2-3/3-2/2-1 Reed L5: 2-1/0-1 Reed L6: 0-1/3-2 Example 12

A double raschel knitted fabric having a density of 50 courses per inch on a loom was knitted as a base fabric (loomstate fabric) in the following manner. A double raschel knitting machine having five reeds with 28 gauges was used. The pre-dyed mixed spun threads of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50 were introduced as ground threads to each of reeds L1 and L2; polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament threads (thread Bll) of 55 dtex and 24 filaments were introduced as ground threads to a reed L4; polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament threads (thread B12) of 84 dtex and 144 filaments were introduced as ground threads to a reed L5; and polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament threads (thread B13) of 30 dtex and 12 filaments were introduced as connecting threads to a reed L3. The knitting arrangement was as shown below.

The base fabric was relaxed in a bath at 80° C. for 15 minutes and then heat-treated at 130° C. for 1 minute, thereby providing a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention, in which side of the ground fabric part formed with the reeds L4 and L5 is the front side. The resulting fabric had densities of 28 wells per inch and 50 courses per inch.

Reed L1: 5-6/5-4/4-3/3-2/2-1/1-0/1-2/2-3/3-4/4-5 Reed L2: 1-0/1-2/2-3/3-4/4-5/5-6/5-4/4-3/3-2/2-1 Reed L3: 0-1/1-2/2-1/1-0 Reed L4: 1-2/1-0 Reed L5: 4-3/0-1 Example 13

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 12 except that: the pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50 was introduced to the reed L3, as a connecting thread.

Example 14

A double knitted fabric having a density of 33.5 courses per inch on a loom was knitted as a base fabric (loomstate fabric) in the following manner. A 20-gauge circular knitting machine for a double knitted fabric was used. Back threads used were; a pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50; and a two-ply thread (thread B14) formed of polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament threads of 167 dtex and 48 filaments. Front thread used was a polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament thread (thread B15) of 250 dtex and 216 filaments. The knitting pattern was as shown in FIG. 2.

The base fabric was relaxed in a bath at 80° C. for 15 minutes and then heat-treated at 130° C. for 1 minute, thereby providing a fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention. The resulting fabric had densities of 31.5 wells per inch and 33 courses per inch.

Example 15

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 2 except that: a pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A6) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and cotton fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50, which has same fineness and length of staple fibers as those of the thread A2, was partially adopted as the weft thread as to partially replace the pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of (thread A2) consisting of the polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50. The thread A6 is same as the thread A2 except for replacing of the polylactic acid fibers with the cotton fibers.

Example 16

A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material according to the invention was provided in the same manner as in Example 2 except that: a pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A7) consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fibers and rayon fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50 and, which has same fineness and length of staple fibers as those of the thread A2, was partially adopted as the weft thread as to partially replace the pre-dyed mixed spun thread of a yarn number of 30/2 (thread A2) consisting of the polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polylactic acid fibers at a mixing ratio of 50/50. The thread A7 is same as the thread A2 except for replacing of the polylactic acid fibers with the rayon fibers.

Comparative Example 1

A fabric was provided in the same manner as in Example 2 except that: a polyethylene terephthalate pre-dyed multi-filament thread (thread B16) of 690 dtex and 210 filaments was used as a warp thread.

Constructions of the fabrics of Examples and Comparative Example are summarized in Table 1, in which PLA represents polylactic acid, and PET represents polyethylene terephthalate. Evaluation results of the physical properties of the fabrics are shown in Table 2.

TABLE 1 Fabric Thread A Proportion of Proportion of animal animal Exposure Proportion and plant Presence and plant Weaving/ ratio of of thread origin of origin fibers knitting thread A (% by fibers (% by backing Material (% by weight) pattern Disposition of thread A A (%) weight) weight) layer Example 1 PLA + PET 50 double weft woven back weft thread <1 40 20 present fabric Example 2 PLA + PET 50 plain woven fabric part of weft thread <1 28 14 present (fineness of warp thread: 990) Example 3 PLA + PET 50 plain woven fabric part of weft thread 5 30 15 present (fineness of warp thread: 940) Example 4 PLA + PET 50 plain woven fabric part of weft thread 10 30 15 present (fineness of warp thread: 890) Example 5 PLA + PET 50 plain woven fabric part of weft thread 20 34 17 present (fineness of warp thread: 790) Example 6 PLA + PET 90 plain woven fabric part of weft thread <1 28 25.2 present (fineness of warp thread: 990) Example 7 PLA 100 plain woven fabric part of weft thread <1 28 28 present (fineness of warp thread: 990) Example 8 PLA + PET 50 plain woven fabric part of weft thread 20 34 17 none (fineness of warp thread: 790) Example 9 bamboo + 50 plain woven fabric part of weft thread <1 25 12.5 present PET (fineness of warp thread: 990) Example 10 PLA + PET 50 raised tricot knitted back reed <1 25 12.5 none fabric Example 11 PLA + PET 50 center-cut part of base thread <1 28 14 none double raschel knitted fabric Example 12 PLA + PET 50 double raschel base thread for back structure <1 34 17 none knitted fabric Example 13 PLA + PET 50 double raschel base thread for back structure <1 80 40 none knitted fabric and connecting thread Example 14 PLA + PET 50 double knitted part of back thread <1 46 23 none fabric Example 15 cotton + PET 50 plain woven part of weft thread <1 28 14 present fabric (fineness of warp thread: 990) Example 16 rayon + PET 50 plain woven fabric part of weft thread <1 28 14 present (fineness of warp thread: 990) Comparative PLA + PET 50 plain woven fabric part of weft thread 30 36 18 present Example 1 (fineness of warp thread: 690)

TABLE 2 Wet heat resistance Light fastness Heat resistance Tensile strenth Tear strength Decoloration Discoloration Before treatment After treatment Before treatment After treatment grade Evaluation grade Evaluation (N) Evaluation (N) Evaluation (N) Evaluation (N) Evaluation Example 1 3-4 acceptable 4-5 acceptable 1,046.9 acceptable 854.3 acceptable 189.0 acceptable 155.0 acceptable Example 2 3-4 acceptable 4 acceptable 1,073.4 acceptable 891.5 acceptable 191.4 acceptable 162.7 acceptable Example 3 3-4 acceptable 4 acceptable 1,085.1 acceptable 833.4 acceptable 184.2 acceptable 151.6 acceptable Example 4 3 acceptable 4 acceptable 1,078.1 acceptable 841.3 acceptable 192.7 acceptable 150.4 acceptable Example 5 3 acceptable 4 acceptable 1,056.5 acceptable 825.0 acceptable 186.4 acceptable 154.2 acceptable Example 6 3-4 acceptable 4 acceptable 1,066.4 acceptable 789.4 acceptable 188.6 acceptable 140.2 acceptable Example 7 3-4 acceptable 4 acceptable 986.1 acceptable 873.2 acceptable 134.6 acceptable 70.0 acceptable Example 8 3 acceptable 4 acceptable 1,011.4 acceptable 791.8 acceptable 179.4 acceptable 144.0 acceptable Example 9 3-4 acceptable 4-5 acceptable 1,079.2 acceptable 861.5 acceptable 181.5 acceptable 153.0 acceptable Example 10 4 acceptable 4 acceptable 641.9 acceptable 567.5 acceptable 103.5 acceptable 74.6 acceptable Example 11 4 acceptable 4 acceptable 610.6 acceptable 556.6 acceptable 125.3 acceptable 90.5 acceptable Example 12 4 acceptable 4 acceptable 580.7 acceptable 543.6 acceptable 193.5 acceptable 176.9 acceptable Example 13 4 acceptable 4 acceptable 474.8 acceptable 420.3 acceptable 141.9 acceptable 100.9 acceptable Example 14 4 acceptable 4 acceptable 535.8 acceptable 473.6 acceptable 236.8 acceptable 205.6 acceptable Example 15 3-4 acceptable 4 acceptable 1,023.1 acceptable 881.5 acceptable 162.3 acceptable 130.8 acceptable Example 16 3-4 acceptable 4 acceptable 1,009.7 acceptable 870.1 acceptable 156.8 acceptable 128.4 acceptable Comparative 2-3 not 3-4 not 1,063.1 acceptable 873.2 acceptable 190.2 acceptable 149.7 acceptable Example 1 acceptable acceptable 

1. A fabric for a vehicle interior finish material, comprising a thread A containing fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin and a thread B containing polyester fibers, and having an exposure ratio of the thread A with respect to a surface area of the fabric represented by the following expression being 20% or less: exposure ratio of thread A=(SA/SF)×100 wherein SA represents a total area of the thread A exposed on the surface of the fabric, and SF represents the surface area of the fabric.
 2. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein the thread A further contains polyester fibers in addition to the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin.
 3. The fabric according to claim 2, wherein a proportion of the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin is from 3 to 60% by weight based on a weight of the fabric.
 4. The fabric according to claim 2, wherein the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin is at least one selected from a group consisting of polylactic acid fibers and bamboo rayon fibers.
 5. The fabric according to claim 3, wherein the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin is at least one selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid fibers and bamboo rayon fibers.
 6. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin is at least one selected from a group consisting of polylactic acid fibers and bamboo rayon fibers.
 7. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein a proportion of the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin is from 3 to 60% by weight based on a weight of the fabric.
 8. The fabric according to claim 7, wherein the fibers derived from a raw material of animal and plant origin is at least one selected from a group consisting of polylactic acid fibers and bamboo rayon fibers. 